Nobody needs to be told
starting Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, or Calvin Johnson is
a good idea. Duh, right? You can’t have studs at every position,
though, unless you’re in the shallowest of leagues. This
is where the Shot Caller comes in. Need help deciding which bargain
basement QB to use and which to ignore on Rodgers’ bye week?
Let’s talk. Looking for solutions at running back because
Peterson is a game-time decision? Look no further. Need to know
which of your unproven targets to start and which to sit since
you ignored Megatron and went RB-QB-Jimmy Graham in your first
three rounds? I’m your huckleberry. Past results may not
guarantee future success, but I believe ignoring them entirely
can ruin your Sundays in a hurry. Read on for a little history
and, hopefully, a little sage advice..

Note: Fantasy points
based on FF Today’s default scoring system.

Bye Weeks: New Orleans, Oakland

Grab a Helmet

Plenty of upside for Foles in Wk 7.

Nick
Foles v. DAL: Though it ended up on the cutting room floor, my
“bold prediction” for the Week 6 Writers Roundtable read thusly:
“Nick Foles throws for 300+ yards against Tampa. He’s seemingly
miscast in Chipper’s offense, but that's only because people don’t
understand what the offense is truly about. It’s about tempo more
than any particular scheme or style of play. Foles can move this
team and is a real threat to take Mike Vick’s job.” Yeah, what that
guy said. OK, so he only threw for 296 yards and I have no way to
verify I actually wrote that. I definitely wrote this
piece back in August, meaning Foles has been on my radar since
before the season began. He’s on everyone’s now and for good reason.
He commands a top 5 offense and can really throw the pigskin. So
long as Michael Vick is sidelined, Philly’s understudy is a must
start.

Brandon
Weeden @ GB: It was certainly a topsy-turvy Week 6 for the league’s
quarterbacks. Joining Foles as a top 10 producer were such afterthoughts
as Thad Lewis, Mike Glennon, and this guy, Brandon Weeden. Meanwhile,
such household names as Romo, Rivers, Manning (the other one), and
Luck were holding up the bottom third at the position. This is why
they play the games, huh? Weeden, like Foles, stands a decent chance
of producing again as he heads to Lambeau for a duel with Aaron
Rodgers and the eminently exploitable Packers pass defense. Green
Bay is yielding almost 300 passing yards per game and 8.7 yards/attempt
(a league-worst figure). They’ve also managed just two interceptions,
a Weeden specialty, in five games. The Pack will probably be without
ballhawk Casey Hayward again and they’ll definitely be missing pass
rusher extraordinaire, Clay Matthews. If you’re looking to replace
Brees or Pryor in Week 7, give Weeden a look.

Andrew
Luck v. DEN: Luck’s MNF debut ended up being a complete dud
(202 yards, no TDs, and a pick) as the Colts fell to San Diego in
a game that came thisclose to putting the ol’ Shot Caller to sleep.
Bear in mind I live out West and didn’t even have the “past my bedtime”
excuse to fall back on. Luck wasn’t helped much by his butterfingered
pass-grabbers or a defense that couldn’t get Philip Rivers and Co.
off the field, but he sure didn’t look anything like the guy that
made Peyton Manning expendable when he was out there. How fitting,
then, that he gets a chance to redeem himself against that very
personage, the legend who preceded him, this Sunday night in the
so-called “Horsey Bowl.” Manning’s bringing his defense along, naturally,
a group that’s giving up a league-worst 338 passing yards per contest,
and that should certainly help Indy’s new gunslinger get back on
track.

Grab a Clipboard

Sam
Bradford @ CAR: Has any quarterback posted more wildly disparate
numbers this year than Sam Bradford? He’s thrown as many as 55
passes in a game and as few as 16. He’s completed 75% of his throws,
but also plunged below the 50% mark. He’s topped 350 yards and
also tallied just a shade over triple digits. The only thing he’s
done with any regularity, in fact, is throw touchdown strikes
(at least one per game). While that’s certainly a good thing,
it has more to do with the state of St. Louis’ running game, I
think, than with anything Bradford is doing. The Rams are the
only team without a rushing touchdown in 2013 and now they face
Carolina’s top 5 defense. The Panthers are giving up just 13.6
points/game (third overall) and are fresh off a thrashing of Minnesota’s
Vikings. My guess is they make things tough for the Rams’ runners
AND the guy handing the rock off to them in Week 7.

Matt
Schaub or T.J.
Yates QB @ KC or Alex
Smith v. HOU: A total of 32 quarterbacks posted measurable
statistics in Week 6, two more than started games (Atlanta and
Miami were on a bye). Matt Schaub and Alex Smith tied for 29th
place in points at the position with 9.3, meaning they only bested
the two relief pitchers, T.J. Yates and Derek Anderson, who saw
action. Yates, of course, replaced Schaub when the latter succumbed
to an ankle injury and could get the nod again this Sunday. Don’t
even think about it. The Chiefs do bad things to opposing QBs
(31 sacks and a 59.8 passer rating, both league bests) and haven’t
allowed a 300-yard or multi-TD performance through six games.
Not to be outdone, the Texans haven’t even allowed a 200-yard
performance thus far! You don’t want anything to do with the signal
callers in this one, folks.

Joe
Flacco @ PIT: Flacco is currently averaging 19.3 points/game,
putting him on pace for a career-best year from a fantasy perspective.
If you watch him on TV, however, there’s nothing “career-best”
about what you see. He’s struggling mightily and the Ravens
are struggling right along with him. In last Sunday’s matchup
with Green Bay, for instance, the Baltimore offense spent most
of three quarters going three-and-out before things opened up
a bit in the final stanza. Flacco finished with 342 yards and
a couple scores, the third time he’s topped the 300-yard
mark. FYI: Baltimore’s lost all three. If you think they’re
gonna be playing catch-up at Heinz Field this Sunday, by all means
give him the nod. If you think it could be one of those knock-down,
drag-out AFC East affairs, however, look elsewhere. Oh, one more
FYI: Pittsburgh’s yielding the fewest points to opposing
QBs this season.